


I Promise

by Amertsi



Category: Dragalia Lost (Video Game)
Genre: Luca has lil a gay panic, M/M, Mascula is baby and I'd die for him, Mentions of Character Death, as a treat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-29
Updated: 2020-04-29
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:29:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23914582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amertsi/pseuds/Amertsi
Summary: After everything that's happened, Luca can't help but worry about Mascula and Laxi. While Laxi is rebooting, he and Mascula discuss the past, the present, and plans for the future.
Relationships: Luca/Mascula (Dragalia Lost)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 17





	I Promise

**Author's Note:**

  * For [KristenWehner (Twitter)](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=KristenWehner+%28Twitter%29).



> I adore these two so much.

“Alright, good job everyone, fall back!”

A rousing cheer echoed through the clearing as Euden gave the orders. Once again, they’d defended a village from the Empire’s clutches, and victory shone brightly on them. Luca joined in the cheer, raising his blade into the air, a wide grin upon his face, before joining in with the rest of the troops as they marched back to the village. 

The atmosphere was jovial as Luca plopped down with a tired but fulfilled sigh upon the grass outside the village. Typically, the energetic Sylvan would mingle with his friends and companions, rejoicing in the day’s success with them, but even he needed a moment to himself from time to time. As he looked up to the bright sky, he didn’t notice the figure approaching him until their shadow partially covered his face. Luca blinked, glancing at them, and a smile turned the corners of his lips.

“Oh, hey, Laxi! Mascula! What’s up?”

▷“It’s just Mascula right now, actually. Could... Could I sit with you?”◁

“Oh-- Yeah, sure!” Luca patted the spot on the grass beside him, and the android sat down, resting his arms on his knees. “So, it’s just you, then? Laxi letting you drive?”

▷“Ah, um... yes, in a sense. She’s rebooting her thought processors, so while she does that, I can have control for a while!”◁

“Oh, neat!” A look of worry passed Luca’s face. “You guys okay though? Last time this happened--”

Mascula nodded. ▷“We’re alright. There is no serious damage. It is only a precaution.”◁

“Mm, alright, if you say so.” For a moment, the two friends were silent. It was not an uncomfortable silence, but try as he might, Luca couldn’t shake his earlier nerves. It felt out of character for him, so he forced out a small laugh, flashing Mascula a smile. “Ha, y’know, this’ll probably sound weird, but well... I guess I can’t help worrying ‘bout you guys.”

Mascula regarded the Sylvan with a tilt of his head. ▷“Worrying? What for?”◁

“Well, y’know...” Luca rubbed the back of his neck, glancing up to the sky and the clouds passing overhead. “I don’t wanna see you guys get hurt, yeah? I mean, we’re in war and all so I guess people get hurt pretty often, but still...” He laughed again, a sheepish sound. “Sorry. I’m not making much sense, am I?”

A look of confusion remained on the android’s face. ▷“You don’t have to worry about Laxi and I. We do not feel pain, and any damages we sustain can be repaired quite easily.”◁

“Yeah, but...” Luca paused, frowning at the worry that gnawed away inside of him. “I dunno.” He turned his head to look at Mascula (though a part of his mind corrected himself; he was technically looking at Laxi, after all). “Don’t you worry? About getting hurt, I mean. After... After what happened to you and Laxi, doesn’t the thought of something happening again frighten you? I mean, you basically died, Mascula... It’s a miracle I can still talk to you at all.”

Mascula shook his head. ▷“I do not worry about such things, and neither does Laxi. While I do not wish to fight whenever I can avoid it, to bring about peace, I don’t mind the sacrifice.”◁

Luca’s worries were not assuaged. “I know you don’t mind, that’s kind of your whole thing, but still. You really weren’t scared? Not even a little? Even when we all thought you were gonna die for real... you weren’t scared?”

To Luca’s surprise, Mascula seemed to falter a moment. ▷“Well... no. I wasn’t scared. Not of death, at least. To save Laxi and all of you, sacrificing myself was simply what had to be done.”◁

“But?” Luca insisted, squinting his eyes. “I hear a but in there.”

Mascula’s laugh was light and airy and tinged with a note of underlying sadness. ▷“I cannot hide anything from you, can I?”◁ The android hugged his knees a little closer to his chest. ▷“I was too determined back then to realize it, but there was one thing that frightened me, I think.”◁ Though it was Laxi’s face looking at him, Luca could see the shimmer of Mascula’s eyes as he smiled softly at him. ▷“You were my first friend, Luca, and if I was scared of anything... it was the thought of not getting to see you again.”◁

Luca was not prepared for the way that smile and those words caused his heart to skip a beat and his breath to catch in his throat. “...Really? That’s what worried you? Even though we’d barely just met back then?”

▷“Of course!”◁ Mascula spoke with conviction, determination in his eyes. ▷“You were kind to me, and though we did not see eye to eye at first, you still supported my dream and continue to do so. I do not regret my choice, but...”◁ He broke his gaze, casting it to the grass beneath them. ▷“Even now, the thought of a future where I did not get to see you again is a haunting one, indeed.”◁

For a moment, Luca was silent, he too turning his gaze down to the green earth below. When he spoke again, there was an uncharacteristic softness to his voice. “Y’know... I was kinda mad at you, for a while.” When he glanced up to see the confusion in Mascula’s eyes, the Sylvan quickly sat up a bit straighter, waving his hands in a gesture of reassurance. “I’m not anymore! But...” He looked down again. “...It was selfish of me, but I kinda felt like you hadn’t thought about my feelings at all. How I’d feel to have my friend suddenly gone. I know it was what had to be done and all, but I still can’t help but wonder if it was a hasty decision... And I know you aren’t gone, not really, but for a while it still hurt anyway. Not so much anymore, but it took a while to get used to what had happened.” Luca offered his friend a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Sorry, I’m bringing the whole mood down, aren’t I? That’s not like me at all...”

Luca was caught by surprise when suddenly Mascula took his hand in both of his own, grasping it tightly. ▷“Please, Luca. Do not apologize. I must apologize to you, instead. I didn’t think at all about how you would feel... If I had thought about it, perhaps I could have found another solution...”◁

Shifting to better face his friend, Luca placed his free hand atop the hands grasping his and looked Mascula in the eyes. “Don’t start thinking like that just ‘cause of my selfishness, okay? What you did was really brave. I dunno many people who would be able to do the same. And... And even if it hurt and I was really upset for a while, you can’t go regretting it now after you just said you didn’t regret it at all. All we can do now is move forward, right?”

▷“But I hurt you... I never would wish to harm you in any way, but I still did.”◁

Luca shook his head. “Yeah, it hurt, but it’s not your fault you had to do what you did. That’s Emile and the Empire’s fault. If they hadn’t gone and woken you guys up and forced you to fight, you’d still both be in one piece.”

A pause, then the faintest of smiles found its way to Mascula’s face. ▷“...Yes, but if we hadn’t been reactivated, I never would have met you.”◁

Luca blinked, then laughed softly. “Yeah... I guess so, huh? That bastard sure did a lot of terrible things, but guess we gotta thank him for bringing us together.”

Mascula giggled, and the tension around the pair seemed to lift slightly. ▷“I suppose so.”◁

They released each other’s hands and turned back to the sky, a now more comfortable silence falling over them. The worry that once ached in Luca’s chest was somewhat relieved. Of course, he’d always be worried; he cared a lot about Mascula. And Laxi too, of course. But just getting his worries out in the air had taken a weight off of him. Still though, there was one more thing on his mind. “...Hey, Mascula?”

▷“Yes, Luca?”◁

“If... If somehow in the future, we were able to get you a new body... would that make you happy?”

When Luca turned his gaze back to Mascula, he found him with a look of gentle surprise. He seemed to ponder the question a moment before answering. ▷“...I... hadn’t really considered it. It... It would make me happy, yes. But I do not know if it is possible. Our creator is gone.”◁

“That just means we have to find out how to build you a new one ourselves!” Luca offered a reassuring grin. “Maybe your old man has notes hidden away somewhere that one of the smart folks in the Halidom can figure out. Can’t say it’s impossible until we try, yeah?”

▷“I... I suppose I cannot entirely rule out the possibility...”◁

“It’s settled then! Even if we hafta wait till this war is over, I promise you, we’re gonna get you your own body again!” Luca held out one hand, his pinky raised. Mascula looked at him, confused.

▷“What is this?”◁

“Oh-- it’s a pinky promise! We hook our pinkies together as a way to show that we’ve made a promise together that can’t be broken.”

▷“Is hooking our pinkies some sort of spell?”◁

Luca laughed and shook his head. “Not really. But I still think it’s a nice thing to do, y’know? An extra step to show you that I’m super serious about this!”

For a moment, Mascula hesitated. Then, he smiled gently and raised his own hand, linking their fingers together. ▷“Okay. If it is what you want to do, then I will promise with my pinky, too.”◁

Luca had to hold in another chuckle as he put on an overly serious face. “Mascula!” he declared in a boisterous tone. “By this pinky promise I do solemnly swear that I, Luca, will find a way to get you a new body, or else... uhhhhhhh. Well! I’ll figure it out!”

Again, Mascula giggled. ▷“I did not know a pinky promise was so serious.”◁

“It’s very serious! ‘Cause I’m very serious! Seriously.” Luca unhooked their fingers in order to take Mascula’s hand in his, giving him a determined smile. “I’m gonna make this world the peaceful world you’ve dreamed of. And when I do, I want you to be able to walk through it with me, in your own two feet. Whatever it takes, we’ll get your body back. Got it?”

Silently, Mascula nodded. And then, Luca was caught off guard as he was pulled forward, arms wrapped around him in a hug.

▷“...Luca. Thank you,”◁ he said, his voice all but a whisper. ▷“Thank you so much.”◁ Before Luca could regain the ability to speak, Mascula pulled away slightly to peer at him. Though it was Laxi’s face he saw, he could almost picture the other android smiling softly at him instead. ▷“...I’m told this is called a hug, and it is what you give to people you care a lot about. Did I... get it right?”◁

It took a moment longer before Luca could nod. Why was his face heating up? “Yeah-- yeah, you got it! This is a hug. Who taught you that? Was it Ranzal--”

▷“Ah, Luca...?”◁

“W-What?”

▷“Your ears. They’re twitching a lot. Why is that?”◁

“Eh?” Luca snapped back into reality, and with an embarrassed noise, he grabbed onto the tips of his twitching ears. “O-Oh, that? Well-- um-- actually!” He quickly stood up. “Y’know, I think I hear Euden calling me! I should go see what he wants.”

▷“Oh? I didn’t hear--”◁

“Sorry to leave suddenly! But...” Luca paused, then smiled brightly. “I won’t forget my promise, okay? You don’t forget it either! See you later!” With a wave of his hand, the Sylvan ran off, his ears still twitching ever so slightly.

...

_“Systems rebooting. Systems online.”_

▷“...Oh. Welcome back, Laxi.”◁

“...”

▷“...What is it?”◁

“Your conversation with Luca was ridiculous.”

▷“...Oh. Was it?”◁

“Yes.”

▷“Sorry.”◁

“The chances of building you a new body are less than ten percent.”

▷“I know.”◁

“And making a promise by linking fingers does not increase these odds.”

▷“...I know.”◁

“But you still trust him.”

▷“Of course.”◁

“...”

▷“...Laxi?”◁

“...Until you have your own body, no more of these so called “hugs.””

▷“Aw, why not?”◁

“I do not like them.”

▷“...I do. They make Luca happy.”◁

“Then get your own body and stop using mine to give them.”

▷“...Alright.”◁

“Hmph.”

▷“...Laxi?”◁

“What?”

▷“Thank you. I know it’s hard, sharing your body with me. But... thank you. It was nice to talk to Luca again.”◁

“Do not thank me. It was only a coincidence that the timing worked out as it did.”

▷“If you say so~”◁

“I do say so.”

▷“Hehe. Okay. Should we head back to the others now?”◁

“Yes. Let’s. But no more hugs.”

▷“Okay, okay...”◁

The siblings that shared a single body stood, brushed the grass from their skirt, and together, they moved forward.


End file.
